HOYLAKE, England -- Rory McIlroy's Sunday procession to anticipated triumph in the oldest major championship in golf became a tad wobbly around the crumpled links at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. But the substantial lead he built with a stunning finish in the third round proved sufficient.

Armed with a six-shot lead courtesy of two eagles in his last three holes on Saturday, McIlroy had enough in reserve and enough nerve to remain steady and hold off Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler & Co. to win the 143rd British Open.

"It feels absolutely incredible," said McIlroy, 25, who moved to No. 2 in the official world golf rankings. "It's sort of cool that they put your name on there even before you get it. I'm happy I gave myself enough of a cushion today, because there was a lot of guys coming at me, especially Sergio and Rickie.

"Just to be sitting here and looking at (the Claret Jug) and having my name on it, it's a great feeling. It obviously hasn't sunk in yet. I'm going to enjoy it and let it sink in tonight in the company of my friends and family."

With a closing 1-under-par 71, McIlroy finished at 17-under-par 271, two shots clear of Garcia and Fowler, who did all they could to make McIlroy earn it with finishes of 66 and 67, respectively.

Jim Furyk rushed home with a 65 to finish four shots back in fourth. Five shots back were world No. 1 Adam Scott (66) and Marc Leishman (65). Tiger Woods shot 69 in the first round but then slid back with rounds of 77-73-75 and beat just three players. Defending champion Phil Mickelson never got going with rounds of 74-70-71-68 and tied for 23rd.

"When he's in rhythm he's phenomenal," Scott said of McIlroy. "He doesn't have weaknesses and he has more strengths than most anyone else. When he's in rhythm, you'll see him shoot low numbers all the time. And yesterday he finished like a champion to pretty much take a little bit of heat off him today. … It was probably tough for Rory out there today, but that's the advantage of having that extra power that he has."

Relying on what he called trigger words to ready himself for every shot – process and spot – and with nary a challenge from Mother Nature during a week of few clouds, pleasant breezes and pleasing temperatures and just a few spots of rain, McIlroy joined his boyhood idol, Woods, and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three different majors by the age of 25.

And to go with his romps by eight shots in the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2012 PGA Championship, McIlroy is a Masters win away from joining Nicklaus, Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win the career Grand Slam.

"I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly," McIlroy said. "Even though there's still one major left this year that I want to desperately try and win, I'm looking forward to next April and trying to complete the career Grand Slam."

Last year he wasn't looking forward to much of anything. Still trying to get comfortable with his new golf equipment and dealing with ramifications from a split with his old management team that spilled into the courtroom this year, McIlroy was out of sorts in last year's Open at Muirfield, where he missed the cut and said he was "brain dead."

This year, off the course issues have again challenged his psyche, especially breaking off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki after wedding invitations were mailed out. But McIlroy focused his energy on the golf course and treated it like his sanctuary. The week he broke it off with Wozniacki, he won the BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's flagship event. As for his habit of not breaking 40 for nine holes on Fridays, which he's done six times this year, he took care of that this week.

"I've really found my passion again for golf," McIlroy said. "Not that it ever dwindled, but it's what I think about when I get up in the morning. It's what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability."

While the odds were against them at the start of the day, Garcia and Fowler made things interesting, with Garcia getting within two shots on three occasions before McIlroy took a three-shot lead to the final hole.

It was Garcia's 19th top-10 in a major but he remains winless in 64 starts. Still, he will leave Hoylake with far more positive than negative thoughts, confident his solid play that has produced 23 top-10s in 45 starts, including four victories, will continue.

"It's difficult when you're in a situation where you know you can't make a mistake. It just puts that little extra pressure," Garcia said. "But so many good things happened throughout this week. And even today I got a couple of really good breaks. At least I'm proud of the way I played.

"I wanted to at least make him feel a little bit of pressure and see how he would respond. And he obviously responded well. Every time I got closer, he kept making one birdie and not letting me get any closer than that. … I felt like I did almost everything I could. And there was a better player. It's as simple as that.

"You don't have to look at other things. It's just that simple."

Fowler, whose work with Butch Harmon this year is taking hold, added another strong finish in a major to his resumé, having finished in a tie for fifth in the Masters and in a tie for second in the U.S. Open this year. While he was disappointed in getting so close to clutching the Claret Jug, he's ecstatic that he locked up a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team for their biennial tussle with Europe from Sept. 23-28 in Scotland.

"Rory just kind of distanced himself from the field a bit, especially with his finish yesterday," Fowler said. "It's hard to be disappointed about it, because it was such a great week. And with the way I had been playing in the majors, there was some pressure to play well this week. But with how comfortable I've been, it doesn't feel like a big stage. It feels like I should be here.

"I'm definitely pleased with it. There's plenty more to come. I'll take 15 under in a lot of majors and sit there and wait in the clubhouse. Congratulations to Rory. He played awesome. And it was just kind of fun to throw a few shots at him coming in. To see him win was pretty cool."

PHOTO GALLERY: Sunday at the British Open

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates with his mother Rosie on the 18th green after winning the British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Stefan Wermuth Reuters

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after making a birdie putt on the ninth hole during the final round of the British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, northern England July 20, 2014. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT GOLF TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ORG XMIT: LON757 STEFAN WERMUTH REUTERS

HOYLAKE, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the 1st hole during the final round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on July 20, 2014 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 497278113 ORIG FILE ID: 452424168 Mike Ehrmann Getty Images

HOYLAKE, ENGLAND - JULY 20: Edoardo Molinari of Italy lines up a putt on the third green during the final round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on July 20, 2014 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 497278113 ORIG FILE ID: 452424574 Tom Pennington Getty Images